Current efforts to consolidate demand reporting into a single system focus primarily on supply data (i.e., the data needed to identify the part being requested). The objectives of the proposed Research efforts are to determine the feasibility of focusing on the total maintenance requirement for logistic support Including supply data, and to identify the necessary data elements to be communicated. The network communications system with intelligent gateways being developed by the office of the secretary of defense (OSD) may permit data needed by stock points or inventory control points to be stripped from the total data packet while other associated data can be transmitted to operational commanders, commercial and government Engineering activities, hardware program management activities, etc. The primary benefit from the proposed effort will be that not only will supply data be consolidated and more complete, but the maintenance requirement can also be validated by maintenance Engineering and design organizations to assure the correct item(s) of supply are being requested and Included as demand data.
